The Sceptics of the Old Testament: Job - Koheleth - Agur by Emile Joseph Dillon

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If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, Or if I have lain in wait at my neighbour's door, Then let my wife turn the mill unto another And let others bow down upon her!

CCLXV

For adultery is a grievous crime, Yea, a crime to be punished by the judges: It is a fire that consumeth to utter destruction, And would root out all mine increase.

CCLXVI

Had I despised the right of my man-servant Or of my maidservant, when they contended with me, What could I do, when God rose up? And when he visiteth, what could I answer him?

CCLXVII

For perdition from God was a terror to me, And for his highness' sake I could not do such things. Did not he that made me in the womb, make him?[247] And did he not fashion us in one belly?

CCLXVIII

Never have I withheld the poor from their desire, Nor caused the widow's eyes to fail; Nor have I eaten my morsel alone, Unless the fatherless had partaken thereof.

CCLXIX

If I saw one perish for lack of clothing, Or any of the poor devoid of covering; Then surely did his loins bless me, And he was warmed with the fleece of my sheep.

CCLXX

If I lifted up my hand against the fatherless, When I saw my backers in the gate,[248] Then let my shoulder fall from its setting, And mine arm from its channel bone!

CCLXXI

I have never made gold my hope, Nor said to the fine gold: "Thou art my trust;" Never did I rejoice that my wealth was great, And because mine hand had found much.

CCLXXII

Never did I gaze upon the sun, because it shone brightly, Nor upon the moon floating in glory, So that my heart was secretly enticed, And I wafted kisses to them, putting my hand to my mouth.[249]

CCLXXIII

Never did I rejoice at the ruin of my hater, Nor exult when misery found him out; Neither have I suffered my throat to sin, By wreaking a curse upon his soul.

CCLXXIV

Never had the guests of my tent to say: "Oh, that we had our fill of his meat!" I suffered not the stranger to lodge out of doors, But I opened my gates to the traveller.

CCLXXV

I covered not my failings after the manner of men, By locking mine iniquity in my bosom, As if I feared the vast multitude, Or because the scorn of families[250] appalled me.

CCLXXVI

And I, forsooth, should keep silence, should not come forward! Oh, that one would hear me! Here is my signature; let the Almighty answer me, And hear the indictment which my adversary hath written![251]

CCLXXVII

Surely I would hoist it upon my shoulder, And weave it as a crown unto myself; I would account to him for the number of my steps; As a prince would I draw near unto him.

CCLXXVIII

JAHVEH:

Who is this that darkeneth my counsel, With words devoid of knowledge? Now gird up thy loins like a man, For I shall ask of thee, and do thou teach me!

CCLXXIX

When I laid the earth's foundation where wast thou? Declare, if thou hast understanding! Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest, Or who hath stretched the line upon it?

CCLXXX

Where are its sockets sunk down, Or who laid the corner-stone thereof? When the morning stars exulted together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy.

CCLXXXI

Who shut in the sea with doors, When it brake forth as issuing from the womb? When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness for its swaddling-band.

CCLXXXII

Then I brake up for it its appointed place, And set it bars and portals, And said: "Hitherto shalt thou come, And here shall thy haughty waves be stayed!"

CCLXXXIII

Was it at thy prompting that I commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place? That it might seize hold of the ends of the earth, That the wicked might be shaken out?[252]

CCLXXXIV

Then the earth changes as clay under the seal, And all things appear therein as an embroidery;[253] But from the wicked is withholden their hiding-place, And the raised arm shall be shattered.

CCLXXXV

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in search of the abysses? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee, Or hast thou seen the doors of darkness?

CCLXXXVI

Hast thou surveyed the breadth of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest, its measure! Thou must needs know it, for then wast thou already born, And great is the number of thy days!

CCLXXXVII

Which way leadeth to the dwelling of light? And of darkness, where is the abode? That thou shouldst take it to its bounds, And that thou shouldst know the paths to its house?

CCLXXXVIII

Hast thou entered into the granaries of the snow, Or hast thou seen the arsenals of the hail, Which I have laid up for the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and of war?

CCLXXXIX

By what way is the mist parted? And the east wind scattered upon the earth? Who hath divided its course for the rain-storm? And its path for the lightning of thunder?

CCXC

Out of whose womb issued the ice? And who gendered the hoar-frost of heaven? The waters are as stone, And the face of the deep condensed like clots together.

CCXCI

Canst thou bind the knots of the Pleiads, Or loose the fetters of Orion? Canst thou send lightnings that they may speed, And say unto thee: Here we are?

CCXCII

Who in his wisdom can number the clouds, Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, That the dust may thicken into mire, And the clods cleave close together?

CCXCII

Canst thou hunt its prey for the lion, Or sate the appetite of the young lions, When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait?

CCXCIV

Who provideth his food for the raven, When his young ones cry unto God? It hovereth around nor groweth weary, Seeking food for its nestlings.

CCXCV

Canst thou mark when the hinds do calve? Canst thou number the months when they bring forth? They cast out their burdens, Their little ones grow up out of doors.

CCXCVI

Who hath sent out the wild ass free, Whose dwelling I have made the wilderness, Who scorneth the noise of the city, Nor heedeth the driver's cry?

CCXCVII

Will the wild ox be willing to serve thee, Or abide by thy grip? Wilt thou trust him because his strength is great, Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?

CCXCVIII

Dost thou bestow might upon the horse? Dost thou clothe his neck with a waving mane? Dost thou make him to bound like a locust, In the pride of his terrible snort?

CCXCIX

He paws in the vale and rejoices; Goes with strength to encounter the weapons; He mocks at fear, and is not dismayed, And recoileth not from the sword.

CCC

The quiver clangs upon him, The flashing lance and the javelin; Furiously bounding, he swallows the ground, And cannot be reined in at the trumpet-blast.

CCCI

When the clarion soundeth he crieth, "Aha!" And sniffs the dust raised by the hosts from afar; He dasheth into the thick of the fray, Into the captains' shouting and the roar of battle.

CCCII

Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, And spread her pinions towards the south? She builds her nest on high, dwelling on the rock, And abideth there, seeking prey.

CCCIII

Will the caviller still contend with the Almighty? He that reproves God, let him answer! Wilt thou even disannul my judgment? Wilt thou condemn me that thou mayst be in the right?

CCCIV

If thou hast an arm like God, If thou canst thunder with a voice like his, Deck thyself now with majesty and grandeur And array thyself in glory and splendour!

CCCV

Scatter abroad the rage of thy wrath, And hurl down all that is exalted! The haughty bring low by a glance, And trample down the wicked in their place!

CCCVI

Hide them together in the dust, And bind their faces in secret! Then will I, too, confess unto thee That thine own right hand can save thee!

CCCVII

JOB:

Behold I am vile, what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will do so no more, Yea, twice, but I will proceed no further.

CCCVIII

I know that thou canst do everything, And that nothing is beyond thy reach; Hence I say: I have uttered that I understand not, Things too wonderful for me, which I know not.

CCCIX

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, But now mine eye hath beheld thee; Therefore I resign and console myself, Though in dust and ashes.

EPILOGUE

CHAP. XLII. A.V.]

7 _And if was so, that after the Lord had spoken these words unto Job,the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee,and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me_ the thingthat is_ right, as my servant Job_ hath.

8 _Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go tomy servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and myservant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal withyou_ after your _folly, in that ye have not spoken of me_ thething which is _right, like my servant Job._

9 _So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar theNaamathite went, and did according as the Lord commanded them: the Lordalso accepted Job._

10 _And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for hisfriends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before._

11 _Then came there unto him all his brethren, and all his sisters, andall they that had been of his acquaintance before, and did eat bread withhim in his house: and they bemoaned him, and comforted him over all theevil that the Lord had brought upon him: every man also gave him a pieceof money, and every one an earring of gold._

12 _So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning:for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and athousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses_.

13 _He had also seven sons and three daughters_.

14 _And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of thesecond, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch_.

15 _And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters ofJob: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren_.

16 _After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons,and his sons' sons, even four generations_.

17 _So Job died, being old and full of days_.

Footnotes:

[196] _I.e._, the magicians by means of incantations.

[197] Allusion to the Satan's remark in the Prologue, chap. i. to: "Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side?"

[198] The strophe which follows in Prof. Bickell's text I consider a later insertion, and have therefore struck it out. It runs thus:

"The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, And the teeth of the young lions are broken; The old lion perisheth for lack of prey, And the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad."

[199] The prophetic vision which Eliphaz now describes is relied upon by him as the sanction for his whole discourse. To his seeming, it is a direct revelation from God.

[200] The sons of God, sons of the Elohim. _Cf._ Genesis vi. 4. There is no analogy between these sons of God and the angels or saints of Christianity. _Cf._ also Prof. Cheyne, "Job and Solomon," p. 81: Baudissin, Studien, II.

[201] The human body is likened to a tent of which the tent-pole is the breath of life; this gone, all that remains is the natural prey of the elements.

[202] Calumny.

[203] Allusion to his sufferings at night from elephantiasis. This terrible malady, which was first described by Rhazes, in the ninth century, under the name _da-l-fil_ ("disease of the elephant"), was for a long time erroneously believed to be confined to Arabia. As a matter of fact, it is found in an endemic state in all warm countries, and sporadically even in Europe. In tropical and sub-tropical lands it progresses with alarming rapidity. Every new crisis is preceded by a shivering sensation and violent fever, frequently accompanied with headache, delirium, and nervous and gastric suffering. A violent attack of this kind may last seven or eight days. The seat of the disease is generally the foot or the reproductive organs. In the former case the foot swells to a monstrous size, instep, toes and heel and ankle all merging in one dense mass that reminds one of the foot of an elephant.

[204] Job feels that death is nigh.

[205] Allusion to an ocean myth. A watch had to be set upon the movements of the monsters of the sea and the firmament.

[206] The irony of these words addressed by Job to Jehovah would be deemed blasphemous in a poet like Byron or Shelley. As a matter of fact, they constitute a parody of Psalm viii. 5. as Prof. Cheyne has already pointed out ("Job and Solomon").

[207] The firmament, being a solid mass, has paths cut out along which the stars move in their courses, just as there are channels made for the clouds and rain.

[208] This entire speech is ironical.

[209] Allusion to a myth.

[210] In the light of my own conscience I am not an evil-doer.

[211] Ironical.

[212] _Lit_., the man of lips.

[213] Wisdom.

[214] _I.e_., God's wisdom enables him to discern the deceit of those who appear just, and the punishment which he deals out to them makes the result of his knowledge visible to the dullest comprehension.

[215] A name for God.

[216] The current versions of the Bible make Job say the contrary: "With the ancient _is_ wisdom; and in length of days understanding" (Job xii. 12, Authorised Version). _Cf. ante_, "Interpolations."

[217] _I.e_., Will ye persist in maintaining that God rewards the good and punishes the wicked (as Zophar has just done, strophe xcvii.) in spite of the fact that ye know it is untrue?

[218] _I.e_., not on grounds obvious to all, but because your own particular lot is satisfactory.

[219] Compare this with the extraordinary verse in our Authorised Version: "Thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet"! (Job ii. 27).

[220] This is one of the very few passages in the Poem which throw light upon the date of its composition.

[221] _I.e_., the object for which he bartered righteousness.

[222] Host of evils which has attacked me from all sides.

[223] Ironical.

[224] An allusion to the promises made by the friends on the part of God that Job would, if he repented and asked for pardon, recover his former prosperity.

[225] _Lit_., the pieces of his skin.

[226] Probably an allusion to elephantiasis.

[227] The personification of death.

[228] Either "the sons of the womb which has borne me," as in iii. 10, or else "my own children," the poet forgetting that in the prologue they are described as having been killed.

[229] _I.e_., when it is too late.

[230] Zophar discerns perfect moral order in the world.

[231] God.

[232] _I.e_., by man.

[233] _I.e_., be silent.

[234] Job's ideal of a happy death was identical with that of Julius Caesar--the most sudden and least foreseen.

[235] Literally, "his."

[236] _I.e_., after his death.

[237] _I.e._, God.

[238] Ironical.

[239] If there be a God who rules the world, punishes evil, and rewards good, how comes it that we descry no signs of such just retribution?

[240] About seven strophes in the same quasi-impious strain, characterising the real reign of Jehovah upon earth as distinguished from the optimistic delineations of Job's friends, are lost. The verses that have taken their place in our manuscripts are portions of a different work, which has no relation whatever to our poem. They are not even in the same metre as Job, but contain strophes of three lines only.

[241] Conjecture of Professor Bickell; these two lines are not found in the MSS.

[242] I will judge ye out of your own mouths. Ye maintained, all of you, that the principles on which the world is governed are absolutely unintelligible. How then can ye reason as if the moral order were based upon retribution, and from my sufferings infer my sins?

[243] The miner who descends into the abyss of the earth, and carries a lamp.

[244] Wisdom is here identified with God, of whom we know nothing and have only vaguely heard from those who knew less, i.e., former generations, for whom Job has scant respect.

[245] To mete out justice.

[246] Two strophes are wanting here, in which Job presumably says that this great change of fortune is not the result of his conduct. The LXX offers nothing here in lieu of the lost verses; but the Massoretic text has the strophes which occur in the Authorised Version (xxxi. 1-4), and which would seem to have been substituted for the original verses. The present Hebrew text is useless here. If the four Massoretic verses which it offers had stood in the original, so important are they that they would never have been omitted by the Greek translators, who evidently did not possess them in their texts. They remind one to some extent of certain passages of the Sermon on the Mount, and are manifestly of late origin.

[247] _I.e._, my servant.

[248] The concourse of people and partisans at the gate where justice was administered.

[249] _I.e._, I never adored them as gods.

[250] Of the nobles.

[251] This is the passage become famous in the imaginary form: "That mine adversary had written a book!" (xxxi. 35).

[252] Daylight is hostile to criminals, and the manner in which it operates is here compared to a tossing of them off the outspread carpet of the earth.

[253] On a carpet, to which the earth is still compared.

* * * * *

THE SPEAKER

TRANSLATION OF THE RESTORED TEXT

* * * * *

THE SPEAKER

PART I

I. THESIS: _Vanity of the so-called Absolute Joys of Living._

I 1.[254] The words of the Speaker, the son of David, king in Jerusalem.

2. Vanity of vanities, saith the Speaker, vanity of vanities: all isvanity.

3. What profit hath man of all his toil wherewith he wearies himselfunder the sun?

4. One generation passeth away and another cometh; the earth aloneabideth for ever.

5. The sun riseth and the sun goeth down and panting hasteneth back tohis place where he rose.

6. The wind sweepeth towards the south and veereth round to the north,whirling about everlastingly; and back to his circuits returneth thewind.

7. All rivers flow into the sea; yet the sea is not full; whence therivers take their source, thither they return again.

8. The all is in a never-ceasing whirl, No man can utter it in words; Rest is not vouchsafed to the eye from seeing, Nor unto the ear from hearing.[255]

9. The thing that hath been is the same that shall be, and what befell isthe same that shall come to pass, and there is no new thing under thesun. 10. If aught there be whereof one would say, "Lo, this is new!"--itwas erstwhile in the eternities that were before us.[256]

11. There is no memory of those that were; neither shall there be anyremembrance of them that are to come, among their posterity.

12. I, the Speaker, was king over Israel in Jerusalem, 13. and I set myheart to seek out and probe with wisdom all things that are done underheaven. 14. I surveyed all the works that are wrought under the sun, andbehold all was vanity and the grasping of wind.

15. That which is crooked cannot be straight, Nor can loss be reckoned as gain.

16_a_. I communed with my heart, saying: Lo, I have gathered greatand ever-increasing wisdom, more than all that were before me inJerusalem. 17. Then I set my heart to learn wisdom and understanding.16_b_. And my heart discerned much wisdom and knowledge, 17. madnessand folly. I realised that this also is but a grasping of wind. 18. For

In much wisdom is much grief; Who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

II.1. I said in my heart: Go to, now, I will try mirth and taste pleasure! But behold, this too was vanity.

2. Unto laughter I said: It is mad. Unto mirth: What cometh of it?

PROOFS OF THE VANITY OF POSSESSION AND ENJOYMENT

_(a) Because Enjoyment is Marred by Possession_

II. 3. I cast about me, how I might confer pleasure upon my body--myreason continuing to guide with wisdom the while--and how I might take tofolly till I should discern what is good for the sons of men that theyshould do under heaven during the brief days of their existence. 4. Iundertook huge works, I builded me houses, cultivated vineyards, 5. laidout gardens and orchards wherein I planted trees with all kinds offruits; 6. I dug out reservoirs of water wherewith to water thetree-bearing wood. 7. I got me men slaves and female slaves and hadservants born in my house; I likewise owned horned and small cattle,above all that were in Jerusalem before me. 8. I also piled up silver andgold, the treasures of kings and provinces, I got me men singers andwomen singers, and the delight of the sons of men, wife and wives. 9.And I waxed great and increased more than all that had been before me inJerusalem; also my wisdom abode with me. 10. And what thing so ever mineeyes coveted, I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy;but my heart took pleasure in all my labour, for this only was my portionof all my toil.

II. Then I turned to all my works that my hands had wrought and to theworry wherewith I had wearied myself, and behold, all was vanity and agrasping of wind; and there is no profit under the sun.

V.10. Whoso loveth silver shall not have joy of silver;[257] And he who sets his heart on riches reaps nought therefrom.

This too is vanity.

11. When goods increase, they also are multiplied that devour them, andwhat profit hath the owner thereof save the gazing thereon with his eyes?

12. Sweet is the sleep of the toiler; but his wealth suffered not therich man to slumber.[258]

_(b) Because Possession is at best but Fleeting_

V. 13. There is a sore evil which I have witnessed under the sun; richeshoarded up by the owner thereof to his own undoing.[259] [For such an onetreasures them, spending thereby all his days in worry, vexation, grief,and carking care without gladdening his soul;] 14. then the riches perishby evil mishap, and if that man have begotten a son, there is nothing inhis hand.

16_a_. But this likewise is a sore evil: exactly as he came, even soshall he go; 15. naked, as he issued from his mother's womb, must hedepart again, nor for all his labour shall he carry away aught that mightgo with him in his hand. 16_b_. What profit hath he then for havingtoiled for the wind, 17. and likewise passed all his days in darkness,mourning and much grief, suffering and wrath?

_(c) Because the Capacity for Pleasure is hedged round withConditions_

V. 18. Behold what I have found to be good and beautiful: that a man eat,drink and make merry amid all his labour whereat he striveth under thesun during the brief days of his life which God hath allotted to him; forsuch is his portion. 19. But that God should enable every man on whom hehas bestowed riches and treasures, to enjoy these, and taking his share,to have pleasure in his labour, this is itself a gift of God.[260] 20.For then he shall not ponder overmuch on the days of his life, since Godapproveth the joy of his heart.

VI. 1. But there is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and itweighs heavy upon men: 2. that God bestows upon one riches, wealth andhonour, grudging him nought for which his soul yearns, yet permitteth himnot to taste thereof, but a stranger enjoyeth it. This is vanity and asore evil. 3. If such an one should beget even a hundred sons and livemany years, but his soul could not revel in bliss then I say, an untimelybirth is better off than he. 4. For it came into nothingness, anddeparted in gloom and its name is shrouded in darkness; 3. not even asepulchre fell to its lot; 5. moreover, it had not gazed upon, nor knownthe sun; this latter hath more rest than the former. 6. Yea, though onelived a thousand years twice told, yet had not tasted happiness, must notall wander into one place?[261]

7. All man's toil is for his mouth; And yet the soul[262] gets not its fill.

III. 9. What profit hath the toiler from that whereat he labours? 12. Iperceived that for him there is no good other than to eat, drink, andmake merry in his life; 13. but even this same that any one may eat,drink, and enjoy himself during all his toil, is for him a gift ofGod.[263]

PROOFS OF THE VANITY OF KNOWLEDGE

(a) _Because of its Limitation_

III. 10. I considered the working of the world which God gave unto man asa subject of meditation. 11. Unto their perception he made over theuniverse and likewise all eternity; yet so that they are unable todiscern the work that he worketh from the beginning unto the end.[264]

(6) _From its Depressing Effects as Applied to the Order of theWorld_

III. 14. I discovered that whatever God doeth is for ever; nothing can besuperadded to it, neither can aught be taken away; and God hath socontrived it that man must fear him.

15. What came into being had been already long before, and what will bewas long ago; and God quickeneth the past.

(c) _Because of its Depressing Effects as Applied to Human Life andConduct_

III. 16. Moreover, I saw, under the sun, in the place of equity iniquity,and in lieu of justice crime. 18. I said in mine heart: It is for men'ssake that God should try them and show that they are beasts, they untothemselves. 19. For men are an accident, and the beasts are an accident,and the same accident befalleth them all: as these die even so die those,and the selfsame breath have they all, nor is there any pre-eminence ofman above beast;[265] for all is nothingness. 20. All drift into oneplace; all sprang from the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21. Whoknoweth whether the breath of man riseth upwards or whether the breath ofthe beast sinketh downwards to the earth?

22. And I perceived that other good there is none, save only that manshould enjoy himself in his work; for that is his portion. For who canshow him what shall become of him after his death?

IV. I. And again I saw all the oppressive deeds that are wrought underthe sun; and behold the downtrodden weep, and none comforteth them; andthey endure violence from their tyrants, and none consoleth them. 2. ThenI appraised the dead who died long since, as happier than the quick whoare yet alive; 3. but luckier than both, him who is still unborn, whohath not yet witnessed the evil doings under the sun.

4. And I saw that all striving and all painstaking in the working of menis but the jealousy of one with another; this too is vanity and thegrasping of wind. 5. True,

The fool foldeth his hands, And eateth up his own flesh.

6. And yet better is a handful of quietness than both fists filled withdrudgery and the grasping of wind.

7. And again I beheld a vain thing under the sun: 8. one who toilethrestlessly without enjoying his riches. For whom do I wear myself out andbereave my soul of pleasure? This too is vanity and irksome drudgery.

II. 12. For what manner of man will he be who shall come after me? 18.Then I loathed all my toil, wherewith I had wearied myself under the sun,in order that I should leave it to one who shall come after me. 19. Andwho knoweth whether he be a wise man or a fool? Yet shall he have swayover all the fruits of my labour which I have gained by toil and wisdomunder the sun; this likewise is vanity. 20. And I turned away to let myheart abandon itself to despair because of the pains wherewith I labouredunder the sun. 21. For here is a man who hath performed his work withwisdom, knowledge and painstaking, and to one who hath not labouredthereat he must leave it, as his portion. This also is vanity and a soreevil.

22. For what hath man of all his striving and of the worry of his heartwherewith he labours under the sun? 23. For all his days are sorrows andhis work grief; yea, even at night his heart taketh no rest; this too isvanity.

24. There is no good for man, save that he should eat and drink and makeglad his soul in his labour. Yet I saw that even this lieth in the handof God.[266] 25. For who can eat and who can enjoy except through him?26. For on the man who findeth favour in his sight he bestoweth wisdom,knowledge, and joy; but to him who is not pleasing in his sight[267] hegiveth drudgery, to gather and to heap up in order to make it over to himin whom he is well pleased. This also is vanity and a grasping of wind.

PROOFS OF THE VANITY OF WISDOM IN ITS RELIGIOUS AND MORAL ASPECTS[268]

_(a) Because in the Chances of Life and Death the Just are NowiseFavoured_

II. 12_a_. Then I turned to behold wisdom, madness and folly, 13.and I saw that wisdom excelleth folly as much as light surpassethdarkness:

14. The wise man hath eyes in his head; But the fool walketh in obscurity.

But I perceived that the same fate overtaketh them all. 15. Then I saidin mine heart: As it happeneth to the fool, so shall it happen also untome; and why then have I been so very wise? Whereupon I said in my heartthat this too is vanity. 16. For there is no more remembrance of the wiseman than of the fool for ever; because in the days to come all shall havebeen long since forgotten, and how the wise man perisheth like the fool!

17. Then I loathed life; because the turmoil under the sun weighed uponme as a calamity, for all is vanity and a grasping of wind. III. 1. Toeverything there is a season and each thing under heaven hath itshour.[269] 2. There is a time to be born and a time to die; a time toplant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; 3. a time to kill anda time to heal; a time to break down and a time to build up; 4. a time toweep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; 5. a timeto cast away stones and a time to gather stones together; a time toembrace and a time to refrain from embracing; 6. a time to seek and atime to throw away; a time to keep and a time to destroy; 7. a time torend and a time to repair; a time to be silent and a time to speak; 8. atime to love and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace. VIII.6. For every thing hath its season and its destiny,[270] for the bane ofman presses heavily upon him. 7. Because he knoweth not what shall be;for who can tell him how it will come to pass?

8. No man swayeth the storm-wind, None controlleth the day of his death; There is no discharge in war, Nor can riches rescue their possessor.

_(b) Because the Just are very often Treated worse than the Wicked_

VIII. 9. All this have I seen, and I have applied my heart unto everyevent that happens under the sun, at the time when one man ruleth overanother to his undoing. 10. And so I beheld the evil-doer honoured, evenin the holy place, while they who had done uprightly must go away andwere forgotten in the city. This also is vanity.

11. Because sentence against misdeeds is not executed forthwith,therefore the heart of the sons of man is fully set to work evil. 12. ForI know that many a miscreant hath committed bad deeds for a protractedtime past, and yet lives long, 13. while the God-fearing prolongeth nothis shadow-like days.

14. There is a vanity which is done upon earth: to righteous men thathappeneth which should befall wrong-doers; and that betideth criminalswhich should fall to the lot of the upright. I said: This too is vain.

16a. When I applied my heart to know wisdom and to consider the goings onupon earth, 17a. then I perceived that no man can find out the whole workof God that is carried on beneath the sun.[271] How much soever he maylabour in seeking, he will not discover it; 16_b_. even though byday and by night he should keep his eyes from seeing sleep; 17_b_.yea, though a wise man set himself to fathom it, yet shall he not find itout.[272]

IX. 1. For all this I laid to heart, and my heart beheld it all; that therighteous and the wise and their doings are in the hand of God; neitherlove nor hatred doth a man know in advance;[273] everything lies beforehim.

2. All things come alike to all indiscriminately;[274] the one fateovertaketh the upright man and the miscreant, the clean and the unclean,him who sacrifices and him who sacrifices not, the just and the sinner,him who swears as him who dreads an oath. 3. This is an evil amongst allthings that are done under the sun, that one chance betideth all;therefore the sons of men pluck up courage for evil, and madness abidethin their heart.

VIII. 15. Then I commended mirth, because for man there is no good underthe sun save only to eat, drink, and make merry, and that abideth withhim in his toil during the days of his life which God hath given himunder the sun.

PROOFS OF THE VANITY OF WISDOM IN ITS ASPECT AS PRUDENCE AND PRACTICALAPTITUDE

_(a) Because Success is Contingent upon Circumstances beyond theControl of Man_

IX. 11. Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, northe battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men ofunderstanding, nor favour to men of skill; but time and chance overtakethem all. 12. For man knoweth not even his own time; like the fishes thatare taken in the evil net, and like the birds that are caught in thesnare, so are the sons of men entrapped in the season of misfortune, whenit breaks in upon them unawares.[275]

_(b) Because of the Difficulty of obtaining recognition for it, and ofthe Ease with which it may be Thwarted by Folly_

IX. 13. This also have I seen under the sun, as wisdom, and it appearedgreat unto me. 14. There was a little city and few soldiers therein, andthere came a mighty king against it, and besieged it, and built greatbulwarks against it. 15. Now he found in it a poor wise man who, by hiswisdom, delivered the city; but no one remembered this poor manafterwards. 16. Thereupon I said:

Wisdom is better than strength; Yet the poor man's wisdom is despised.

17. The words of the wise are gently uttered; But the clamour of fools is deafening.[276] 18. Wisdom is better than war weapons; Yet a single oversight bringeth ruin. X. 1. A dead fly causes balsam to putrefy; So a little folly destroys much happiness.

VI. 8. For what hath the wise more than the fool? What, the poor whoknoweth how to walk before the living? 10. That which is happening waslong ago named, and it is known beforehand what a man shall be; neithercan he join issue with him who is mightier than he. 11. For there is muchprattle that only augmenteth vanity. Of what avail is it to man? 12. Forwho knoweth what is helpful to man in life during the brief vain days ofhis existence which he spendeth as a shadow? For who can tell a man whatshall come to pass after him under the sun?

PART II

RECOMMENDATION OF THE RELATIVE GOOD; AND IN THE FIRST PLACE OF WISDOM, ASRENUNCIATION

_(a) Of Claims to Happiness_

VII.1_a_. Better is a good name than choice unguents,

X.1. But better wisdom than glory; [Better not being than existence,][277]

VII.1_b_. And the death-day than the birthday.

2. Better to enter the house of mourning Than to go into the tavern; Because there is the end of every man, And he who survives will lay it to heart.

3. Better is sorrow than laughter; For a cheerless face makes a blithesome heart. 4. The heart of the wise is in the mourning-house; The heart of fools in the house of mirth.

5. Better to hearken to the rebuke of the wise, Than to listen to the song of the foolish. 6. As the crackling of thorns under a pot,[278] Is the inane laughter of the fool.

VI.9. Better look with the eyes than wander with desire; This too is vanity and a grasping of wind. VII.7. For extortion maketh the wise man foolish, And bribery robs understanding.

8. Better the end of a thing than the beginning thereof; Better is patience than haughtiness. 9. Let not thy spirit be hurried into anger, For anger lurketh in the bosom of fools.

10. Say not: Why were old times better than these? For it is not fromwisdom that thou askest thus.

13. Contemplate the work of God! Who can straighten what he hath madecrooked? 14. In the day of prosperity be of good cheer, and in the evilday bethink thee: the latter God hath made even as the former, to the endthat man at his death shall have left nothing unaccomplished.

_(b) As Renunciation of Reputation for Perfect Justice and Wisdom_

VII. 15. All things have I witnessed in my vain days; there are just menwho perish through their righteousness, and there are wicked men whoprolong their lives by means of their iniquity.[279] 16. Be not righteousovermuch, neither make thyself overwise; why wouldst thou ruin thyself?17. Do not allow thyself too much liberty, and be not a fool: why wouldstthou die before thy time? 18. It is well that thou shouldst hold fast tothe one and also not withdraw thy hand from the other, for he who fearethGod compasseth all this.

19. Wisdom is a stronger guard for the wise man than ten mighty men whoare in the city.

11. Wisdom is good with an inheritance, Yea, better yet, to them that see the sun;[280] 12. For wisdom and wealth afford shade, And wisdom, besides, keeps its possessors alive.

_(c) As Renunciation of One's Claims to the Respect and Considerationof Others_

VII. 21. Likewise, take not all the gossip of people to heart, lest thouhear that thy friend hath reviled thee! 22. For thy heart is consciousthat thou thyself hast often-times made little of others. 20. For:

There is no just man upon the earth Who worketh good and never faileth.

_(d) Of One's Claims to Act Independently of their Counsel and Aid_

IV. 9. Two are better off than one; 10. for should one of them fall, theother lifts him up again. Woe to him that is alone, if he fall, and therebe not another to raise him up. 11. Likewise, if two lie down together,they become warm; but how can one grow warm alone? 12. Moreover, if a manwould overpower the single one, two can keep him at bay, and a threefoldcord will not easily give way.

13. Better is the youth, needy and wise, than the king old and foolish,who can no longer take a warning to heart. 14. For the former went forthfrom prison to govern, though born poor in the realm of the king. 15. Isaw all the living who walk under the sun, in attendance on the youth whowas to take his place. 16. There was no end to the multitude....[281] whowere before them; nor did those who lived afterwards glory in him. Forthis likewise is vanity and a grasping of wind.

RECOMMENDATION OF WISDOM AS RATIONAL PIETY[282]

_A Warning: (a) Against Outward and Sacrificial Worship_

V. 1. Keep thy foot when thou goest to the house of God! And to draw nearhim, in order to obey, is better than the offering of sacrifices byfools: for they know not....[283] to work evil.

_(b) Against Mechanical Prayer_

V. 2. Be not rash with thy mouth, nor let thy heart be hasty to utterwords before God! For God is in heaven, and thou art upon earth;therefore let thy words be few! 3. For

Dreams proceed from much brooding, And the prattle of fools from a multitude of words.

_(c) Against Rash Vows_

V. 4. If thou makest a vow unto God, fail not to fulfil it, for fools aredispleasing. Carry out that which thou hast promised. 5. It is betterthou shouldst not vow at all than vow and not perform. 6. Suffer not thymouth to render thy body punishable, neither utter thou the plea beforethe messenger:[284] "it was rashness." Why cause God to be wroth at thyvoice and destroy the work of thy hands?

_(d) Against Arbitrary Religious Speculations_

V. 7....[285] For in the multitude of fancies and prattle there likewiselurketh much vanity. Rather fear thou God!

RECOMMENDATION OF WISDOM AS ACTIVITY

_(a) In Public Life_

V. 8. When thou witnessest oppression of the poor and the swerving fromright and equity in the land, marvel not thereat. For a higher onewatcheth over the high, and still higher ones over both.[286] 9. But again to the country is only a king--for tilled land.

X.16. Wo, land, to thee whose king is a child, And whose princes feast in the early morning! 17. Hail to thee, land, whose king is noble, And whose princes eat in due season!

18. Through sloth the rafters give way; Through idleness the roof lets in the rain. 19. They misuse food and drink for feasting: And gold putteth all things in their grasp.

20. Even in thy privacy curse not the king, Nor in thy bed-chamber the wealthy; The birds of heaven might divulge it, And the feathered ones might report the word.

_(b) In Private Life_

XI. 1. Send forth thy bread over the surface of the waters, for aftermany days thou shall find it again. 2. Divide thy possessions into seven,yea, into eight portions! For thou knowest not what evil may befall theland. 3. If the clouds fill themselves with rain, they discharge it uponthe earth; and whether the tree falleth towards the south or towards thenorth, in the place where it falleth, there shall it abide.

6. In the morning sow thy seed, And until evening let not thy hand repose.[287]

For thou knowest not which one shall thrive, this or that, or whetherthey shall both prosper alike.

4. He that observeth the wind shall not sow; He that watcheth the clouds shall not reap.

5. As thou knowest not the way of the wind, nor the growth of the bonesin the womb of the mother, even so, thou canst not fathom the work of Godwho compasseth everything.

RECOMMENDATION OF WISDOM AS CIRCUMSPECTION

_(a) In our Dealings with Women_

VII. 23. All this have I tried with understanding; I was minded toacquire wisdom, but it remained far from me. 24. Far off is that whichis,[288] and deep, deep; who can fathom it?

25. I turned away, and my heart was bent upon understanding, sifting, andseeking the outgrowth of wisdom and knowledge, madness, and folly. 26.Whereupon I found that more bitter than death is woman--that snare whoseheart is a net, whose arms are fetters: the God-favoured shall escapeher, but the sinner shall be entangled by her.

27. Lo, this have I found, saith the Speaker, piecing one thing withanother in order to discover a result: 28. What my soul hath ever soughtfor, yet never fallen upon, is this: I have discovered one man, amongthousands; and of all these there was not one single woman. 29. Behold,this only have I found: that God made men upright, but they go in searchof many wiles.

_(b) In our Relations to the Monarch_

VIII.1. A man's wisdom brightens up his countenance. And transforms the coarse rancour of his face. 2. The wise man hearkens to the king's command, By reason of the oath to God.

3. Steer clear of evil causes![289] For he[290] doeth even what he listeth. 4. Mighty is the word of the monarch; Who dares ask him: "What dost thou?"[291]

X.2. The wise man's heart straineth to the right, The heart of the fool to the left. 3. Even out of doors he lacketh sense, Saying unto every one: "I am a fool."[292]

4. Though the wrath of the ruler should swell against thee, yet forsakenot thy post. For composure avoids grave mistakes.

5. There is an evil which I beheld under the sun, like unto a blunder,proceeding from the ruler!

6. Folly is set in high places, The great ones must sit low down; 7. Slaves have I beheld on horseback, And princes trudging on foot.

_(c) In the Conditions of Everyday Life_

X. 8. He that diggeth a pit may fall into it; him who breaketh down wallsa serpent may sting. 9. Whoso removeth stones may be hurt therewith; hewho cleaveth wood may be endangered thereby.

10. If the axe be blunt it demands more strength:[293] Only through intelligence doth exertion avail. 11. If the serpent bites before the spell, Then bootless is the charmer's art.

12. Speech from the wise man's mouth is grace, The lips of a fool swallow him up; 13. The first words of his mouth are folly. And the end of his talk rank madness.

II.15. For in self-conceit babbles the fool,[294] X.14_a_. The silly man multiplieth his words; 15. The fussiness of the fool jadeth him. Who knows not yet the way citywards.[295]

_Exhortation to enjoy Life_

X. 14_b_. Man knoweth not what shall come to pass, and who can tellhim IX. 3. during his life, what shall befall after his death? Afterwardsthey go down to the[296] [dead, and there none can tell him aught nor canhe apprehend anything. Even could he take it in, it would avail himnothing, for in _Sheol_ there is no participation in life]. 4. Forwhosoever may enrol himself in the company of all the living, can restcontent, seeing that a living dog is better than a dead lion. 5. For theliving know at least that they shall die, whereas the dead know notanything at all, neither have they any more a reward, for the memory ofthem is forgotten. 6. As well their love as their hatred and jealousy haslong since passed away, neither have they any more a portion for ever inanything that is done under the sun.

7. Go, eat thy bread with joy, And quaff thy wine with merry heart.

For God hath countenanced beforehand this thy doing. 8. Let thy garmentsbe always white and let thy head lack not ointment. 9. See life with awoman whom thou lovest throughout all the days of thy empty existencewhich he hath given thee under the sun, during all thy vain days! Forthat is thy portion in life[297] and in thy labour which thou takestunder the sun. 10. Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do that with thymight. For there is no work, nor cogitation, nor knowledge, nor wisdom inthe _Sheol_[298] whither thou goest. XI. 7. But sweet is the lightand pleasant it is for the eyes to gaze upon the sun. 8. For how manyyears soever a man may live, he should enjoy himself during them all, andbear in mind the days of darkness that they shall be many. Everythingthat is to come, is vain.

9. Rejoice, young man, in thy youth![299] And let thy heart make thee glad! And walk in the ways of thine heart, And according to the seeing of thine eyes!

_10a._ Drive sorrow from thy heart; And put away care from thy flesh! XII._1a._ And bethink thee of thy fountain,[300] In the days of thy youth!

XI. _10b._ For youth and dawn are fleeting.

XII._1b._ Dreary days are drawing near, And years approach devoid of joy. 2. Then darkened shall be sun and moon, And clouds come after rain alway.

3. The keepers of the house[301] shall quake, The sturdy ones[302] shall bend themselves; Darksome shall the windows[303] be, 4. And closed shall be the portals.[304]

The roar of the mill[305] shall be as the sparrows twitter, The daughters of song[306] shall bow low; 5. Likewise of heights shall they be afraid, For dread shall lie in wait.

3. The grinding maids[307] shall leave off work, 5. The almond-tree[308] shall shed its blooms; The grasshopper[309] shall be burdened, And the caperberry[310] unavailing.

For man goeth to his everlasting home and the mourners are in readinessin the street.

6. Asunder snaps the silver chain; Shivered is the golden lamp; The pitcher shattered at the brook; The scoopwheel falls into the well.

8. O Vanity of Vanities, saith the Speaker; all is vanity![311]

Footnotes:

[254] For the convenience of the reader I give the chapters and verses as they are in the ordinary Hebrew Bible, so that they can be found at once in the Authorised Version. The letter _a_ after the verse number indicates the first half of that verse, the letter _b_ the second half.

[255] The meaning is almost the opposite of that of the Authorised Version. Eye and ear are wearied and bewildered by the incessant whirl of the vast machinery of the universe. _Cf._ Schopenhauer, ed. Grisebach, vol. v. p. 295, Sec. 144. The metre of the strophe is identical with that of the "Poem of Job."

[256] It is interesting and instructive to compare this with the identical doctrine of Buddha, as set forth in the canonical book, "Samyuttaka-Nikayo," vol. i. vii., 2 P, 2 Suttam. It is accessible to most readers in the admirable German translation of Dr. K. E. Neumann, Leiden, 1892. Pp. 156, 157.

[257] The Authorised Version has "shall not be satisfied with silver." The meaning is that he who loves silver shall not enjoy the good things it can purchase.

[258] _I.e_., The care and anxiety which accompany the possession of wealth. The Authorised Version has: "The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep." The Hebrew word _saba'_ can signify both wealth and repletion. Here it manifestly means the former; but some well-intentioned person whose ideas of physiology were defective, having taken it to mean repletion, confirmed his view by interpolating the words: "whether he eat little or much."

[259] Here a portion of the original text has been lost, as is evident from the passage beginning "What profit," two sentences lower down, which sums up the troubles of the rich man and makes them consist not merely in the loss of what he actually possessed, but likewise in the hardships and privations which he endured in order to produce his wealth. I give in brackets the words which Professor Bickell conjecturally supplies in lieu of the lost passage.

[260] And therefore extremely doubtful. When Koheleth wishes to express the idea of inexorable law, or Fate, he has recourse to the notion of God.

[261] It is only on earth that one can hope for some approximation to happiness. If we fail to obtain it here--and the odds are very much against us--there is no hereafter to look forward to; for we _all_--the miserable as well as the fortunate--are drifting steadily into one place--the dreary _Sheol_, where there is no pleasure, no striving, no life.

[262] _I.e._, not merely, as commentators generally suppose, that desire is not satiated; but that the enjoyment for the sake of which alone we desire life, and toil to sustain it, is never attained. The aim of labour is enjoyment, without which existence is a burden; but the real result of it all is the mere support of life without its redeeming pleasures. _Cf._ Schopenhauer, vol. v. pp. 300, 301.

[263] That is to say, is a very uncertain outlook.

[264] This is a remarkable sentence, which, if it could be supposed to be the fruit of the writer's own speculations, would entitle him to a high place in the Pantheon of speculative philosophers. This proposition, which underlies all Buddhistic doctrines, would be formulated by Kant or Schopenhauer somewhat as follows: Time, space, and causality are given to man as the _a priori_ conditions of all thought; they are the stuff his mind is made of. As they are likewise the three ingredients of which the universe is composed, it follows that the world is the web of his own intellect, and, in so far as it is knowable, exists for the intellect alone. That which underlies all the shadows of existence, the one eternal force or will, he never beholds.

[265] Schopenhauer would express it thus: Our sources of knowledge--inner and outer observation--are identical with those of animals, the difference consisting in that faculty of imparting to our intuitions the form of abstract ideas.

[266] That is to say, is highly uncertain; for, as we learn in the following lines, happiness and misery depend upon chance or luck. God gives his favourites an agreeable life, leaving the drudgery to all the rest. And his choice is not determined by any ethical acts of man.

[267] "Sinner" is not the correct translation of the Hebrew word _khote_ here; otherwise the author could not say that this too (_i.e._, the punishment of the sinner) is vanity.

[268] The Jews frequently give to piety and morality the name of wisdom.

[269] The sense of this passage, which has become proverbial, is generally misunderstood. What it means is that man's work, be he never so skilful, be it never so easy, is absolutely dependent for success upon conditions which are wholly beyond his control, and that undertaken under any other conditions is inevitably doomed to failure.

[270] Here Professor Bickell supplies the words: "Against this no man can strive."

[271] The utmost that physical science can teach us is the where, the when and the why of the appearance of the forces of nature. The _what_ remains for ever a mystery.

[272] Wisdom here is taken to mean the one eternal reality which underlies the shadowy appearances that we see and know. The same use of the word and exactly the same thesis occur in Job. (_Cf_. A.V. Job xxviii. 21, 22.)

[273] He cannot answer even for his own sentiments, completely though they may seem to be under his sway.

[274] _I.e._, without ethical distinctions between the good and the bad.

[275] It is curious to note that a comparison strikingly similar to this occurs in the ancient Indian collection of fables entitled "Pantschatantra." (Ed. Kosegarten, p. 105.)

[276] Literally: tyrannical.

[277] This line is no longer found in the Hebrew or Greek texts. It is required, however, by the sense and metre, and is inserted by Professor Bickell.

[278] Here the Hebrew text contains a play of words which cannot be reproduced in English.

[279] "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." ("Measure for Measure.")

[280] _I.e._, for mankind.

[281] Here a portion of the text is evidently lost. Professor Bickell suggests that it ran somewhat as follows: "Who received him with applause and reviled the old king. For inasmuch as he had spurned the counsel of the wise, in order to misgovern and grind down the people, therefore they hated him as those had hated him" who were before them.

[282] As an antidote to the so-called "piety" founded upon the scrupulous observance of the law, which had become a very Upas tree of self-complacency. Mankind is already encompassed by so many and such terrible evils, that it would be sheer madness to turn religion into a means of multiplying them.

[283] Another passage is wanting here, which most probably was to the effect that they know not that God asks no sacrifices at their hands but only works of justice; and that therefore they take courage "to work evil."

[284] Various commentators have offered various explanations of this obscure passage. As none of them is convincing, I prefer to leave them unnoticed. It is not impossible that it may contain an allusion to some popular tale or fable, analogous to that of the man who called upon death in his despair, and when the grim visitor made his appearance, asked him merely to help him to carry his burden.

[285] Professor Bickell supposes that here some words have fallen out, such as: "Brood not over that which is too marvellous and too lofty for thee, neither say of the dreams of thy heart and the babbling of thy lips, 'I have found the knowledge of the Holy One.'"

[286] This passage is a bitterly ironical onslaught on bureaucracy.

[287] This distich is rhymed in Hebrew.

[288] What Kant would call _das Ding an sich_. Everything we see and know is but appearance. The underlying substance, "that which is," is unknowable.

[289] Political plots.

[290] _I.e._, the king.

[291] Ironical.

[292] By his unconsidered acts.

[293] Literally, "it must be the more lustily wielded."

[294] This line is found only in the Septuagint.

[295] Probably a proverbial way of saying that a man knows nothing.

[296] The words in brackets are supplied conjecturally by Professor Bickell.

[297] The Authorised Version has "in this life." But it deviates from the Hebrew original.

[298] The nether world where the dead are but shadows.

[299] This and the following quatrain are rhymed in the original; as is also the preceding distich.

[300] Thy wife.

[301] The arms.

[302] The legs.

[303] The eyes.

[304] The ears.

[305] The voice.

[306] The tones.

[307] The teeth.

[308] The white hair.

[309] Fascinum.

[310] [Greek: Kreis].

[311] The epilogue forms no part of the original text.

* * * * *

THE SAYINGS OF AGUR

TRANSLATION OF THE RESTORED TEXT

* * * * *

THE SAYINGS OF AGUR

FIRST SAYING

_On God_

I

Sentence of the man who has worried himself about God: I have worried myself about God and succeeded not; For I am more stupid than other men, And in me there is no human understanding. Neither have I learned wisdom, So that I might comprehend the science of sacred things.

II

Who has ascended into heaven and come down again? Who can gather the wind in his fists? Who can bind the waters in a garment? Who can grasp all the ends of the earth? Such an one would I question about God: What is his name? And what is the name of his sons, if thou knowest it?[312]

SECOND SAYING

_On Four Insatiable Things_

There be three things which are never satisfied, Yea, four exclaim: "It is not enough!" The Ghoul hath two daughters: "Give, give!"--the grave and the womb.[313] The earth is not filled with water, And the fire sayeth not, "It is enough!"

THIRD SAYING OF AGUR

_On Four Inscrutable Things_

There be three things too wonderful for me, Yea, four which I fathom not: The way of the eagle in the air, The way of the serpent upon a rock, The way of a ship amidst the ocean, And the way of a man with a maid.[314]

FOURTH SAYING

_Four Insupportable Things_

Under three things the earth quakes, And under four it cannot stand. Under a slave when he seeks to reign, And under a fool when he is filled with meat; Under an odious woman when she gets a husband, And under a handmaid who is heir to her mistress.[315]

FIFTH SAYING

_Four who stride majestically_

There be three things which go well, Yea, four are comely in going: A lion--the hero among beasts, Who turneth not aside for any one; A greyhound and a bell-goat, And a king who riseth up for his people's sake.

Or lest I be poor and yield to seduction And offend against the name of my God.

Accuse not a servant to his master,[312a] Lest he curse thee and thou be found guilty.

There is a bad generation that curses its father And doth not bless its mother,[312b]

A bad generation which is pure in its own eyes, And yet is not washed from its filthiness.

A bad generation, how lofty are its eyes! And how uplifted its eyelids!

A bad generation whose teeth are as swords, And whose jaw-teeth are as knives

To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men.[312c]

[312a] As if Agur were an aristocrat from blind unreasoning sympathy for the heathen aristocracy. Allusion to Agur's 4th Saying.

[312b] Against Agur's 2nd and 3rd Sayings.

[312c] Against Agur's 4th Saying.

[313] _I.e_., birth and death. (_Cf. Agur, the Agnostic_, pp. 139, 140.) The champion of orthodoxy evidently took the passage literally and consequently condemned Agur as guilty of a lack of filial respect for his mother, venting his feelings in the following lines:

"The eye that scoffeth at the grey hair of the father And that despiseth the old age of the mother,

The ravens of the valley shall pick it out And the young eagles shall devour it."

[314] Verse 20 A.V. is an addition inserted by a later writer who having misunderstood the last line of the fourth sentence, deemed it his duty to give it a moral turn.

[315] The Sentence following (vv. 24-24 A.V.) dealing with Four Cunning Ones is probably not from Agur's pen; for not only has it five distichs, but it lacks the point which characterises his Sayings, besides which it does not begin, as his "numerical" Sentences do, with _three_ before proceeding to _four_.

[316] Keep silence.

[317] In Hebrew the same word signifies "nose" and "strife."

* * * * *

INDEX

* * * * *

INDEX

Adversary, the, "a son of God"Agur, the Sayings of-- their literary place character of their position in Proverbs their present form Agur and his orthodox opponent blunders of the latter Oriental influence traceable in the Sayings the mystery of generation date of composition Agur shows no respect for the doctrine of retribution, for Messianism, revelation, &c.; no belief in a personal God his antagonism to Jewish theologians his views of right conductAngelsAnimals, the tenderness of Buddhism towardsAryans and Semites, contrast of mental characteristicsAsterisks, Origen's, in the HexaplaAuthorship of Job

Bickell, Professor, and the laws of Hebrew metre discovery of the Saidic version of Job on the theophany in Job theory as to the chaotic state of Koheleth and the "Praise of Wisdom" textual conjectures"Book, That mine adversary had written a"Book of Job (see Job)Buddhism and the theology of Job and Job's moral system influence of, on KohelethBuddhism, spread of, into Syria, Egypt, &c. influence of, on Agur and the doctrine of Renunciation its tenderness towards animals and plantsByron's "Cain" and Job

"Cain" (Byron's) and Job"Canticles of Scepticism," Heine's description of KohelethCheyne, Prof., and the date of Job and the laws of Hebrew metre and Prof. Bickell's theory of the plan of Koheleth on the "theism" of Koheleth Job, strophe liii. and Ps. viii. 5 compared.Christ and the doctrine of RenunciationChristianity not incompatible with Koheleth's scepticismClement of Alexandria and a lost version of JobCornill, Dr., and the date of JobCouncil of Constantinople and the historical truth of JobCritical apparatus applied to text of Job

Date of Job of earliest extant MS. of Job of Koheleth of the Sayings of Agur

Firmament, theFree-will and the origin of evilFuture life, Job knows nothing of Koheleth knows nothing of

Ghoul, the (_Tanha_)Good and Evil, problem of free-will and the origin of evil the Oriental theory ofGregory the Great and the Book of Job

Hebrew metre, Prof. Bickell and the laws ofHeine and the "Canticles of Scepticism"Hitopadeca, the, and the Sayings of Agur

Inspiration of Job not affected by reconstructive changesInterpolations in Job, examples ofIsaac of Antioch, transpositions in poems caused by dropped leaves

Jesus Sirach and the Book of ProverbsJob, the Poem of-- compared with Lucretius, _De Nat. Rerum_ its inclusion in the Canon its appeal to all ages opinion of Gregory the Great, Thomas Aquinas, Tennyson, Luther its place in literature

the problem of traditional theology the mystery of good and evil no conception of a future life nor of the Resurrection or Atonement the poet's view of the problem free-will and the origin of evil the Oriental theory of these Brahmanism and Buddhism Job's illumination the same as Buddha's

authorship of date of the question of historicity date of earliest extant MS. of a lost version of various causes for changes in text the chief cause, a horror of blasphemy apparatus for detecting these changes laws of Hebrew metre parallelism evidence of the Septuagint Theodotion's version of the Old Testament the Hexapla the Saidic or Thebaic version of Job

examples of interpolations reconstructive changes do not affect inspiration Job's natural philosophy his dynamic theory of the Universe his monotheism not Jewish his moral system, based on pity, found in Buddhism, and here first preached in the Old Testament belief in eternal justice the secret of Job's resignation

the ancient legend of Job, use of it by the poet analysis of the Poem the appearance of Jehovah not literal but symbolical of Job's illumination Judaism, the influence of Buddhism on

Kant and KohelethKoheleth-- its inclusion in the Canon the literary problem of its metaphysical basis the same as that of the philosophy of Buddha, Kant, and Schopenhauer

chaotic and conflicting character of text Prof. Bickell's theory as to the confusion of the book instances of similar confusion in other works the proposed re-arrangement illustrations in support of Prof. Bickell's theory

Koheleth's theory of life source of happiness not wealth nor wisdom nor virtue Koheleth's system relation of God to man the practical moral the view of "moral order" the world all Maya, illusion Koheleth's theory not inconsistent with Christianity the reach of our knowledge; happiness the only true good Koheleth knows nothing of future life or of divine promises or revelations

his belief in eternal justice renunciation, the great doctrine wisdom the great boon content and moderation the golden rule the sources of his philosophy opposition of Jewish orthodoxy to the book admission of the book to the Canon its incompatibility with Messianic hopes of Israel disbelief in a personal God in retribution and immortality Greek influences questioned; probable influence of Buddhism date and locality of Koheleth

Life to come (_see_ Future Life)Lucretius compared with JobLuther and the Book of Job

Magicians mentioned in JobMaya, illusion, the teaching of KohelethMetre in Hebrew, laws of

Nirvana, Koheleth's only real good view of

Old Testament, untrustworthiness of historical booksOrigen and the Hexapla

Parallelism in Hebrew poetryPaul, St., and a lost version of Job"Praise of Wisdom," its place in "Proverbs," Prof. Bickell's discoveryPriests' Code, the"Proverbs," analysis of not written by Solomon their history date ofPlants, tenderness of Buddhism towards

Renunciation, the teaching of Koheleth, Buddha, Christ, etc.Resurrection, the (in Job)"Redeemer liveth, I know that my"

Saidic or Thebaic version of JobSariputto, and the desire for life (_tanha_)Satan, "a son of God"Scotus Erigena and free-willSchopenhauer and Koheleth and Renunciation and the four things insatiableSemites, remains of ancient speculation among and Aryans, contrast of mental characteristicsSeptuagint, the value of, in regard to text of Job

Tanha, the terrible GhoulTennyson's opinion of JobThebaic or Saidic version of JobTheodore of Mopsuestia condemned for declaring Job to be fictionTheodotion's version of the Old TestamentThomas Aquinas on JobTransmigration of souls

Veda, theVedanta, theVowel points in Hebrew

"Wisdom, Praise of," its place in "Proverbs," Prof. Bickell's discovery